


The Institution

by Ninvamphelia



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Horror, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-28
Updated: 2015-08-01
Packaged: 2018-02-22 23:38:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2525885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ninvamphelia/pseuds/Ninvamphelia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Roxas felt that he was always ostracized by his peers. The only one who could relate to him was his superior Axel, who he suspected to be a mental patient.</p><p>He soon learned that Axel held more secrets than he was prepared for...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Ugh…

It smelled…

Roxas didn’t want to be so close to the toilet, but it happened on impulse.

It was acidic…smelled almost like rotten eggs…It made him want to throw up again. He yanked his head out of the bowl once he felt the bile building up in his throat.The sensation was like needles pressing against his esophagus as he forced whatever was in his stomach back inside. He managed to pry away from the toilet and leaned hard onto the wall behind him. Roxas inhaled sharply and held the back of his throbbing head. Quiet, he told himself, he had to be quiet or his brother would hear him struggling.

Roxas wiped a pale yellow trail from his chin and stretched his legs out as far as they could go in the cramped room. The floor squeaked as he did it and he felt his pants dampen slightly. His heart was still pounding but the pain-inflicted tears finally stopped.

“Calm down…” he chanted between each shaky breath, “Calm down…Come on, calm down…”

He didn’t want his family to see him this way. That was why he waited until the dead of night to swallow a few too many pills.

But his body rejected it. Roxas pulled his legs back in, curling into a ball and scolding himself. His head hurt, his stomach was tightening, and it took every fiber of his being to keep from retching. Despite all this, his eyelids felt heavy and head was bobbing back and forth. He wasn’t sure if it was delusion or reality, but he could swear he heard the soft pad of footsteps outside the bathroom. Regardless, he couldn’t do anything about it; his body had other plans. His eyesight went hazy, then dark as he lost consciousness. 

~~~ 

The room smelled strongly of paint and its only light source was a soft blue illumination coming from an abandoned computer. An odd sticky wet sound mingled with uplifting music, but it only made the atmosphere darker. A man sat hunched over in a corner with a bucket of paint between his legs, placed so close to him it almost seemed he needed it there. The strokes of his paintbrush on the skirting halted when the light dimmed a bit, and a cheerful mechanical voice called, "You have a new message!" With slow, delicate movements the man placed his brush and paint bucket aside. He then strode to the machine. He read the message, opened his mouth, closed it, and slowly looked up as he realized he only had one option, who was currently leaning in his doorway. For a moment he wondered how long he had been there, but it didn't matter. 

"Eight..." he said with a sigh, "you have a mission." 

"Finally!" Eight answered, throwing his hands in the air. "I've been so bored! Not to mention hungry..." 

His words trailed off as he found a tiny glass figurine on his boss' desk and decided it looked fun to break. With a flick, the figurine skidded off the desk and shattered on the marble floor. He giggled and glanced at his boss, hoping for any kind of reaction. Instead, the man turned away and went back to his paint.

"Damn it, Boss..." Eight mumbled under his breath, then rounded the desk to read the screen himself. His eerie smile widened as he read that his first victim of the night was a young, beautiful girl. 

"Oh... We'll be dining fine tonight,” he whispered to himself, bringing his thumb to his mouth and biting down. "I love these types," he said to the Boss who wasn't listening. "Their skin tends to be so silky and there isn't much fat."

He pressed the print button then stood straight, pulling out a lighter which he flipped between his fingers with ease. Humming to himself he walked to the printer, crushing the broken glass on the floor along the way. He snatched up the paper which listed his target and her residence, along with whatever else he needed.

"Alright, Boss!" he called as he left, waving behind him. "See ya soon. I'll try not to trail blood in the hallways again when I return." 

…

Eight’s crimson tresses glittered in the moonlight as he gleefully skipped on the city’s rooftops to his destination. Random car horns, yelling from street thugs and the occasional gun shot were unapparent to him. Music blared into his ears from a set of oversized headphones. Every so often he audibly and very badly sang along, scaring those below. Reaching his victim’s home, he jumped and twirled in the air before landing in a pose and holding it until the song ended. 

“Man, I love that tune.” He chuckled, pulling the headset down to his neck. Resting on his belly he peeked over the roof’s edge and into the open window below. Inside there was a girl sleeping soundly.

“How precious..." he mumbled. "I hope you wake up all sleepy-eyed so your screams of terror are that much more panicked.” 

With a grin he slid forward and crawled into the bedroom without a sound. He reached into a back pocket, then the other, and when he couldn’t feel what he was looking for he started patting himself in a frenzy. The jingling metal on his coat and the heavy footfalls of his black combat boots woke the girl. 

At first, she wasn’t sure how to react. There was a strange-looking intruder in her room whose gender she couldn't specify. Watching the person twirl and mumble curses under their breath while staring at the floor was quite comical. While she watched, she forgot that this person was potentially dangerous and let out a soft giggle. This halted all movement from him. Yes, it was definitely a ‘him’ now that she could see their face. His piercing, cat-like green eyes seemed to glow as they stared her down and stole all feelings of comfort from her. Definitely dangerous. 

“Well, hi!” he spoke, making her jump. “Oh, don’t be afraid yet. I haven’t found the paper.” 

“Wh...What?” She managed to whisper before he started searching again. “What are you doing here? What are you looking for?” 

She felt a tightness in her chest as the words left her. Something told her she’d regret those two questions.

“Oh, I’m here to kill you. I’m looking for the paper that tells me why. Oh, and I suppose you, too. But that doesn’t really matter because you’ll be dead.” He stopped and let out a frustrated sigh. “Where the fuck did I… Wait.” 

He reached into the collar of his coat, down his chest, until he found one of the inner pockets and heard the crumble of paper being moved. 

“Aha, yes! Please don’t be a receipt again. I really need to clean this thing out… Wait, why would I have a rece… Yes! We’re in business,” he announced gleefully as the paper revealed to be what he was searching for. “Alright! Miss… Kairi Hoshiko! Wow, pretty name. Such a shame. Anyway, I am here because someone wants you dead. I will now read why.” He hummed to himself while skimming the paper, then smiled at her. “Okay! Let’s get to i-”

“Wait!” the girl blurted out, holding a hand out to him. Her eyes were filled with fear and confusion, brimming with tears which spilled down her cheeks. “Don’t I get to hear why?” 

Eight blinked and looked at the paper for a moment. 

“Oh yeah, I suppose that would make more sense, huh… Wow, I’ve been doing it wrong this whole time!” he said with a laugh, hitting his head over and over with enough force to cause him to bleed a little. Seeing the blood dribbled down his forehead was enough to make her jump from her bed and dart out her bedroom door. 

“Oh come… I hate it when they run.” He sighed, carelessly stuffing the paper in a pocket. He stood and looked at his watch for a few seconds, tapping his foot with the time. 

“Ready or not~” he chimed in a melodic tone, “here I come.” 

As he left the room he pulled out his lighter, flipping it along his fingers like a coin before it flashed into a long, slender scythe. He paused in the hallway, finding a picture which instantly caught his interest. It showed girl he was currently chasing, standing proudly with a big grin in the middle of two boys her age. One was smiling with her, his blue eyes lit up in glee. The other… He seemed so sad and lost, like he’d rather be anywhere else. 

“Hey, your friends look fun,” he called out. “Are they fun?” 

He waited a minute for an answer which never came. 

“Hm, guess not,” he whispered. With a movement that shouldn’t be possible his scythe cut down the picture, the glass on the frame shattering along the hall and down the nearby steps. 

“Guess none of these people are, then!” He laughed as he continued to do the same to all the frames along the walls. 

Kairi could hear his antics a little too clearly from the closet beneath the staircase. Her sobs made it almost impossible for her to see, let alone stay quiet. On top of that, she couldn't catch her breath and her heart was beating a mile a minute. She briefly wondered if the man could hear it... She was convinced he wasn't human, but then what the hell was he? Her drifting thoughts ceased when she noticed the sound of shattering glass and falling frames had stopped. Kairi stared at the ceiling, waiting for nonexistent footsteps, which only further escalated her fear. She continued to wait, and wait... and wait until enough time had passed that she felt brave enough to peek her head out. 

"Bad idea, kid," Eight said with disappointment. She shrieked and backed inside, but her attempt to escape was useless. The man’s fingers were buried deep in her messy brown hair. 

"Miss Kairi," he read from the aforementioned paper, "You have been chosen to be murdered by yours truly, by request of an anonymous client, under accusations that you have..." 

He paused a moment, squinting as he skimmed the paper. 

"Oh. Interesting. It seems you're just too popular and perfect and someone wants you out of the picture." He grinned, and pulled her head back to make her look up at him. "Were you a little homewrecker?" 

Raising his scythe, he tucked it under her chin, trailing it ever so slowly across her skin. The screams and whimpers of torment she elicited only further escalated his excitement. 

"What a beautiful singing voice..." he mumbled, looking into her eyes. "You'll make a lovely trophy." 

Eight smiled at Kairi, and this particular smile made every hair on her body stand up. It was not only happy, but... kind, for that second, as if Kairi should've been proud he thought that way of her. She felt a warm liquid run down the insides of her thighs. She shook her head furiously, her sapphire eyes wide and terrified, as she clawed at his hand to escape. Eight giggled at her attempt at freedom. 

"Shh...Now, make a prettier face for me. I'd really like to show you off," he whispered into her ear. She continued screaming, recoiling from him as far as she could which wasn't much at all.

"Stop screaming!" he yelled into her ear. She screamed louder than before. 

"What don't you get about the things I'm telling you? Stop. Fucking. Screaming! Make a pretty face and deal with this!" Eight threw her down with a frustrated grunt and pulled his scythe forward again. She attempted to crawl away, but didn't make it far. His foot found the small of her back, holding her in place on the wet wooden floor. 

"Now usually I play with my prey a bit before gutting them," he said, lifting his weapon, "but you're just making too much noise. Which is too bad, really. We could've had a lot of fun tonight. Oh well. There will be others; there're always others. Any last words?" 

Kairi cried softly and muttered incoherently for a moment before opening her mouth to speak.

"Who sent-" 

Her voice stopped abruptly as Eight's scythe severed her head clear from her body. The force of his foot pressing on her corpse caused blood to flood out and pool around it. 

"The victims never get last words. Got it memorized?" he teased with a giggle. Crouching over the corpse he picked up her arm and bent it back, bringing it to his nose. He took a long, deep inhale of her scent and shivered. 

"As good as they get..." he mumbled, looking over the dead girl's body with hunger and lust. He removed his gloves and dipped his fingers in the blood, bringing them to his mouth and fervently sucking the essence from them. 

"You taste as good as you look. Well, _looked_ , I suppose." He took a breath and shifted his position to sit on her corpse, back pressed to the stair wall and legs crossed as he pulled her arm back. He pulled again, then a third time, and finally, a sickening crack echoed through the house as the appendage was released. He purred as he gazed at the arm like a prize. 

"The night is young still. There's plenty of time for a snack before clean-up duty," he assured himself. He bit into the arm, blood gushing out the exposed end and on to his lap. He moaned from the taste, rolling his head back. 

"So good..."

Looking forward again he found Kairi's head and pointed her bloody dismembered arm at it with a grin. 

"You, my dear, will be made into jerky and stew later." He nodded to her, then frowned. Her expression was so ugly. "Oh, don't give me that look. This was your destiny. Haven't you ever heard of Darwin? Sheesh..." 

Shaking his head he briefly looked away, then pointed the arm back again. 

"Girls," he scoffed before digging his teeth into the cold flesh again. 

~~~

The sound of sizzling and popping...The scent of assorted breakfast foods wafting in the air…

Was it time to eat already?

...Eat? 

Wait…

No...

No, no, no, _no_ …

Roxas managed to jerk himself awake. Hyperventilating, his frantic glances at the initially unfamiliar room made the memories come flowing back. That’s right, he didn’t succeed last night. He was still there, fast asleep on his bathroom floor...his suspiciously clean bathroom floor. He didn’t recall making it to the toilet in time, or putting the spilled medication back in its cabinet, or picking up the blanket that was draped over most of his body. Roxas sighed and shut his eyes. 

“Sora,” he said. “You didn’t have to…”

“Yeah. I did.”

Roxas jumped when he heard the voice. He thought his brother was still in the kitchen, but there he was kneeling in front of him with a plateful of food. He had a concerned yet exasperated look as he pushed the plate toward Roxas until he accepted it. It was then that Roxas realized how stiff his body was.

“...Thanks,” he said.

“Whatever. Just don’t let me catch you in a pool of your own vomit again.”

That was Sora’s primary concern? Did he really not know? 

At any rate, Roxas knew Sora wasn’t letting him out of his sight until he ate something. He balanced the dish in one hand and removed the blanket. All he had left on was his hoodie and boxers. After staring down blankly for a few seconds, he glanced at Sora who used his thumb to point at the washer-dryer combo behind him. Roxas picked up a piece of bacon and nibbled on it, earning a smile from his older brother. As if on cue, Sora smelled something burning. He stood up and rushed back into the kitchen. Roxas waited until he believed his sibling was out of hearing range before letting the plate slide out of his hand and onto the floor. It didn’t break but most of the food was no longer edible. He was hungry but didn’t want to eat. What was the point?

He stayed in the bathroom in his underwear, on the newly-stained floor, staring at nothing in particular until Sora came back for him again.

…

After reprimanding him for causing another mess, Sora managed to drag Roxas into the kitchen and sit at the dining table. He scraped the last of his cooking onto a clean plate and placed it in front of his despondent brother. He sat across from Roxas at the tiny round table with his own breakfast. He scooped up some with his fork but waited until Roxas started picking at his food again. The silence was unsettling, but nothing new. 

“So, you have any plans after school?” Sora asked. Roxas, still with the blank, unfocused stare, shook his head.

“Good! Because I want you to give that internship a shot.”

“...We talked about this…”

“Come on, it’s a chance for you to branch out, make friends, y’know, socialize. ...And,” Sora continued when he didn’t get a response, “I want you to have more friends than me and Kairi. Just...Just a suggestion.”

…

Roxas stood in front of his bathroom mirror with his newly-cleaned pair of jeans. He took a gander at his face. The baggy eyes, disheveled blond hair, and chapped lips weren’t exactly appealing, but whatever. He noticed his hoodie looked larger on him than usual but didn’t feel like changing. He gave the underarm a sniff, decided it was decent enough, and went to the living room where his brother was waiting. 

“Not gonna change?” Sora asked before receiving a dirty look. “Hey, just asking.”

They left their house with backpacks and lunches in tow. Their school was walking distance, so they always left a bit earlier to pick up Kairi and head to class. During their walk, Sora attempted to strike up a conversation. When it didn’t work he settled for school-related allegories and lighthearted jokes. He was persistent, to the point where Roxas showed a hint of a smile. Sora, feeling victorious, started laughing and playfully nudging his brother each time he stated the punchline. Roxas ended up bumping into someone who was hurriedly going the opposite direction. The stranger stumbled but didn’t stop moving. The boys turned to see who almost ran them over and saw the back of a sloppily-dressed redhead carrying a briefcase. The bag contained something black flapping on the outside. After a few seconds the boys shrugged it off.

“Oh, hey Roxas, your phone,” Sora said when his eyes drifted to the ground. He picked up the encased smartphone. Feeling nosy, he pressed the power button at the bottom. Even though it turned on, Sora thought that its fall damaged it. The screen was still black, save for a white message in the center:

_Request sent_

The older brother squinted as the phone was snatched out of his hand by its owner. What on Earth was Roxas up to last night? 

“Use your own…” the blond mumbled. Sora sighed. He figured that whatever it was, Roxas was too embarrassed to share the details. He decided not to pry.

Roxas, however, was panicking. The moment he saw the message he remembered everything preceding the bathroom incident. 

...

Having difficulty sleeping the night before, Roxas surfed the Web until he happened upon a strange ad banner. It said ‘Does someone make your life hell? Click here.’ and led to an almost exclusively-black website. It had a text box with a few statements above it: ‘Please type the target's full name and what he/she did to you. Include your name in the description. Do not worry; your identification will not be revealed to the target.’ 

Assuming that it was a local business site, it likely wasn't difficult for Kairi’s address and contact information to be dug up. Whoever was on the other end of that webpage claimed to get their work done within twelve hours. If Roxas remembered correctly, it was around one in the morning when he glanced at the clock. It was 7:34 now.

Did something really happen in half the amount of time…?

“She’s not answering,” Sora said, snapping Roxas back into reality. “Probably asleep, haha.”

Roxas wanted to head straight to school. He pretended to still be preoccupied by his phone as he walked past the turn to Kairi’s cul-de-sac. When Sora noticed, he grabbed his brother’s arm and pulled him back.

“Hey, whoa, Kairi’s place is this way, you know that.” Sora chuckled. Roxas didn’t respond but averted his eyes. It wasn’t as if he disliked her any more than usual; he was usually able to tolerate her abuse since it only occurred in brief intervals while Sora wasn’t looking. On this particular day, he wanted to avoid her as much as possible. If his request for hired reciprocation ever traced back to him there was no telling what she would do.

...When he had really thought about it, what was going to be done to her? The site never asked him what he wanted.

As Roxas was being led like a reluctant child to Kairi’s home, he noticed how strangely empty the street was. There wasn’t a sound other than the whistling autumn wind. The distant flashing red and blue lights only added to the eeriness. 

“Wonder what that’s about,” Sora said before subconsciously counting the houses between himself and the emergency vehicles. “...Oh shit.”

Sora took off running when he realized whose house the paramedics were exiting. Roxas’ walk slowed to a crawl as he watched the scene, phone still in hand. A police car, a coroner, yellow tape, and several people covered the house’s front yard. An officer stopped Sora from getting closer, but everything was visible to him and the inquisitive neighbors. Kairi’s parents were standing by at the doorway. Still in their pajamas, they were holding each other. They were sobbing and struggling to stand, calling out their daughter’s name and demanding to know who did it and why. An officer proceeded to questioning the grievous couple, gently leading them out of the way of a moving stretcher. An EMT emerged from the house, rushing to get the human-sized bag into the mortician’s vehicle. Once Sora saw it, the truth had suddenly hit him. He fell onto his hands and knees, screaming. His voice cracked as the tears started to flow. Roxas paused several feet away from the commotion. It didn’t take long to guess who was in that body bag. 

Roxas’ arms fell to his sides. He dropped his phone. He opened his mouth but he didn’t make a sound. He watched as people he had known for years tore themselves apart over a death he may have been involved with. It was a stretch to say it was a coincidence. 

And for a moment, all he could do was listen quietly.

“...Snrk…”

Until, for the first time that day, Roxas showed signs of life. He snickered until he wasn’t able to hold back. He doubled over, arms tucked under his stomach, and laughed. He laughed until it hurt, with his sides cramping from lack of food, and even then he didn’t stop. He laughed until his eyes watered, until his voice was hoarse, but none of it stopped him. The neighbors stared at him but he didn’t care. He couldn’t if he tried. 

Roxas wished he was there to see it. He wanted to witness the proud, dominating Kairi at her lowest point, begging for mercy. He wanted to see her cries fall on deaf ears, for her to finally empathize with the people she stepped on. 

Kairi Hoshiko was finally gone and he was going to _fucking enjoy it_. 

By the time Sora approached him, Roxas’ face was covered with tears. His brother hugged him tightly. He either mistook the laughter for crying or desperately wanted to stop the insanity. Roxas quieted down and sniffled in an attempt to give Sora reassurance. 

“L...Let’s...just...go to school...o-okay…?” Sora whispered.

“I’ll try to be strong for the both of us,” Roxas replied, struggling to force down another outburst.


	2. Chapter 2

As the crowd dispersed to either tell others the news or try and forget about it, one girl remained. Her eyes were locked on where the body was carried and driven away, and the haunting laughter of one of her classmates echoed in her mind. Her face was stained with running mascara but she forced down sobs, whimpers, any signs of weakness. She was afraid of what someone with that _insane_ of a reaction would do to her next.  
The twins walked by her, reluctantly continuing their journey to school. Sora, hands deep in his pockets, seemed to be on autopilot as he walked right by her. Roxas, however, looked directly at her without missing a step. He looked angry, as if he was asking what the hell the girl was looking at. ‘You, you psycho!’ she wanted to say. Her voice was gone, other than a few squeaks. She took out her phone and sent a message to every student she had immediate contact with:

_Kairi died. Roxas laughed._

…

Sora was hoping that he could feign ignorance and spare his friends a little while longer. The dismal atmosphere at homeroom told him it was too late. Mr. Eros was clearing his throat, adjusting his glasses and flipping pages, but class didn’t start yet. Kairi’s parents must have called earlier and he was trying to collect his thoughts. Sora couldn’t stand the silence. 

To Roxas, everyone was too loud. 

“I knew something was weird about him…”

“Yeah, what kind of fucked-up person would do that?”

“I thought they were friends…”

“Those two? She just tolerated him ‘cause of his brother.”

They didn’t have to say names; he knew what the whispers were about. They were like flies buzzing around Roxas’ ears, and they only increased in volume once he became aware of them. All he could do was stare at his desk. It finally dispersed when the teacher called for their attention.

“As some of you may have heard,” he said, “Kairi Hoshiko...passed away last night. If we could have a moment of silence...”

For a brief period, all that could be heard was soft cries and sniffles. Some students seemed to have wanted to speak, so they must not have known or thought it was a joke. Once the quiet Roxas yearned for passed, Mr. Eros began to explain the plans of a memorial service at the school. The students listened, but were too out of sorts to keep their voices down. When they weren’t crying, they were spreading rumors.

“I totally pegged him as the jealous type.”

“Always craving attention.”

“I’m telling you, he never liked her.”

“I bet he wanted her out of the picture.”

“You think he might’ve...done it?”

“What, you think he killed Kairi?”

And for whatever reason, that was the one that stuck. 

“He killed Kairi.”

_He killed Kairi_

_**He killed Kairi** _

…

Students glared at Roxas as he walked the halls, taking drastic steps to avoid him. The braver ones would point and tell their friends who they thought he was. Sora was still ignoring everything around him. He just wanted the day to be over, just as badly as Roxas. 

At lunch, the cafeteria was booming, save for one table near the exit. The twins sat there with five other students. There was a space left open between Sora and a boy named Riku for the girl who would never show up again. Across from them sat the remainder of the group: Selphie, Tidus, Wakka, and Naminé. Some slowly ate their lunches while others scraped their forks against the paper trays. Roxas was starving but gave up after a few pitiful bites. No one could look at each other or strike up a conversation for the first half of the lunch period.

“...Guess I’m gonna have to say it,” said one of the friends. The others awoke from their collective daze to see what he meant. “Roxas, is it true that you laughed when you saw...when you….saw…”

He was unable to verbally acknowledge the incident, but it was enough to get Sora’s attention.

“What are you implying, Riku?” Sora had a warning tone in his voice. The group’s discomfort became apparent but Selphie spoke up.

“We’ve heard that...Roxas might’ve enjoyed finding out what happened.”

“Wh…” Sora scoffed, “What’re you talking about? That’s insane.”

No response, other than a few cleared throats and averted eyes.

“Come on guys, this isn’t funny.”

Naminé tried to eat her food with shaky hands. Roxas raised an eyebrow at her behavior, and that was enough for the girl to drop the contents from her fork. 

“Are you guys fucking serious right now?” Sora said. “Why the hell would Roxas do that to his best friend or, or _anyone_?” 

“Sora, I can...kinda picture it,” said Riku. 

“What?”

“I mean, I can sorta see...maybe Roxas even being invo-”

Riku was interrupted when Sora took a swing at him. Once he made contact, his friend was knocked out of his chair with a swelling cheek. The attack earned the attention and excitement of nearby students. Roxas didn’t move, but the others scrambled out of their seats to either help Riku up or hold Sora back. 

“Whoawhoa, calm down, brudda!” said the bulkier of their friends, wrapping his arms around Sora’s from behind.

“He didn’t mean it,” Selphie assured.

The girls checked on Riku. The long-haired jock placed his hand on his wound but was more shocked than hurt. 

“Say that again and I’ll kill you.” Sora glared at his downed friend as he noticed supervising teachers quickly approaching. Once his captor loosened his grip, Sora grabbed Roxas’ arm, made him stand, and left their lunches behind. The boys ran across the hallway, past their classroom, and out of the front door before losing their pursuers. Out of breath, they rested on the sidewalk next to the school bus parking lot. Roxas watched Sora bury his face in his hands, one of which had reddened knuckles. He was mumbling to himself. Roxas could hear Sora’s random curses and concerns about getting suspended. He put a hand on his brother’s shoulder, unsure what else to do. Sora sighed, rubbed his face a few times and clamped his hands together.

“I’m going home,” Sora said, still looking straight ahead. “Can’t face those people, not today.”

“Okay.”

“Roxas.” Sora faced him. “You don’t need this. Not after what happened. I...I am begging you. Go to the internship. Just for one day, no, a few hours, that’s all I’m asking.”

“...Fine.”

…

Roxas still didn’t want to make an appearance at the company, but he was willing to do what it took to calm Sora down. He didn’t go home to change or do any research about the business. All he knew, according to Sora, was that it was a renovation company just outside of the city. How thrilling. Roxas used the directions programmed into his phone and, after a few bus trips, made it to his destination. He stood in front of the door for a few minutes, but not due to nerves. There was something...off about it. The two-story building had the correct numerical address, but that was it. It was plain and had no name or sign in sight. It made him briefly wonder how Sora learned about it. 

Once he passed the initial confusion he walked inside. As soon as he shut the door it was pitch black, as if the place was closed and they forgot to lock it. He could hear shuffling and distant voices. Seconds later the lights turned on. What? Did this place have faulty wiring or something?

“Hi! I didn’t know we were expecting visitors,” he heard someone say. The lights turned off before he could see who was with him. 

“How can I help you?” The ‘someone’ was female. Lights on. Whatever was doing this, it wasn’t giving Roxas’ eyes time to adjust. They stung as he squinted and rubbed them. 

“Oh, I’m sorry! This must be bothering you.”

By some miracle the lights fixed themselves. As Roxas’ spotty vision cleared he heard the clacking of heels and the squeaky rolling of chair wheels. There was a blond secretary sitting behind a desk a few feet away from him. She had a computer and lamp on her desk and was relentlessly turning the latter on and off. 

“What can I do for you?” she asked a second time, but the clicking of the pull switch was distracting. So she was the culprit…

“I’m Roxas Juusan, I’m here for the internship?”

“Roxas...Juusan…?” the woman said Roxas’ name slowly, almost curiously, before typing it. She did so with one hand, her light show never faltering. “Ah, yes, of course. You’re a little late, I see.”

“It took a bit of convincing. I can still join, right?”

“Absolutely! Big Boss shouldn’t mind.” The more she spoke, the more intense her stare became. Roxas asked what she was looking at. “I swear I’ve heard your name somewhere before. And you…you look familiar, I guess.”

“Maybe you saw my brother. We’re twins.”

“No, no, it was definitely you.”

Did she really know him? Roxas couldn’t recall entering the building before, since he wanted no part of it in the first place. The secretary wouldn’t have brought it up if it wasn’t important, right?

“Wait a second,” she said, her eyes wide as saucers. “You’re that kid-”

“Larxene, you’ve forgotten something.”

The third voice came from a daunting, expressionless man in a business suit. He was holding a yellow blob. By the way Larxene snatched the object away and squeezed it against her chest, Roxas concluded it was a weird-shaped pillow. 

“Please don’t touch it, Boss…” she mumbled. “Your hands are dirty.”

Now that she had mentioned it, there was something on the man’s visible skin. It was dark yet it glistened slightly under the florescent light. It was chipped and layered, like paint. 

“Roxas, was it?” said the man. “Please, follow me.”

Roxas obliged, unsure of what would happen if he didn’t. There was something wrong with this place, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what. He followed the man into a long, blank hallway. It consisted of six doors on each side and one on the other end. On each door save for the last one, there was a nameplate engraved in the upper center. 

“You will be responsible for whatever errands we are unable to do ourselves,” the man said. “If you run into any trouble, speak to one of your superiors. I’ll get you better acquainted with them in a moment.”

He opened the first door on the left labeled ‘Xigbar Ni’. Roxas heard a loud bang, leading him to believe the Boss threw the door open. His right ear was ringing as he scanned the room for the source of the noise. The door behind him, labeled ‘Xaldin San’, had a smoking bullet lodged in it, giving off a faint scent of gunpowder. Roxas was shot at just now, and his boss didn’t seem to notice.

“Told you to knock, Big Boss,” the man inside, who had gashes on his face and a missing eye, said with an embarrassed smile. He had a revolver in his hand. The inside of his door had his intended target: a bullseye that was littered with holes. His desk had a variety of firearms sprawled on top of it, and a small window was installed into the wall behind it. 

“This is Xigbar. He’s in charge of the blueprints, keeping track of whoever moves into and out of the city, things like that,” the Boss said, ignoring his employee. “Xigbar, Roxas is our new intern.”

“Roxas, huh,” Xigbar scratched his chin with the barrel of his gun, making Roxas cringe each time his finger hovered over the trigger. “That name rings a bell. Did you work here before?”

Roxas didn’t answer. He was too focused on how carelessly the gun was being handled. It swung on the man’s finger, back and forth, as he pondered.

“Yeaaah…” he said, grabbing the handle again in one swift movement and pointing the barrel at Roxas. “Yeahyeahyeah, you’re that kid!”

What kid?!

Xigbar, like Larxene, didn’t have a chance to explain himself before the Boss interrupted. He reached in and grabbed Xigbar’s upper arm. It didn’t seem like a tight grasp but the gun enthusiast inhaled sharply.

“Hey, not cool! Just got my shot,” Xigbar snatched his limb away and rubbed on it with the hand holding the pistol. “Still sore…”

Without another exchange, the Boss closed the door and moved on. Roxas was hesitant to follow, but a part of him was curious. There was something about these people…

Their next stop was the door that Xigbar damaged. Behind it was darkness, save for bushel of flying sparks. What little light they gave revealed a man sharpening a sword with a grinding machine and wearing protective goggles. He continued his work, even when his door opened, so he probably didn’t want to be bothered. 

“This is Xaldin. He’s the middleman of our supplier,” he said as he flipped the lights on. Roxas saw that the blinds were closed on the little window. Xaldin, whose desk served as a stand for his grinder, was wearing a blacksmith’s apron over his work attire. He stopped for a moment and waited for his eyes to adjust. When it wasn’t being used, the grinder turned itself off. Xaldin gave his weapon a once-over. 

“You’ll go blind that way, you know,” said the Boss.

“Ah, but no one came into my office until now,” Xaldin replied, pulling his goggles down to his neck. He slid his forefinger against the blade until he dug into his skin. “Nice and quiet…”

The man suddenly stood, weapon at the ready and a gleam in his eyes. 

“...until _someone_ blew a hole in my door, excuse me,” he said, pushing past his coworkers and into his neighbor’s office. The door slammed shut. Within seconds Roxas heard objects breaking and the two men struggling, and it was sometimes drowned out by maniacal laughter.

“You don’t wanna bring a sword to a gunfight, hombre!” 

Xigbar seemed to be enjoying himself...Did he do it on purpose? The Boss was indifferent toward all of this. 

The next door was labeled ‘Vexen Shi’. It had a sign taped to it telling others not to disturb him. The Boss, unlike what he did with the others, took the hint and kept going. Roxas didn’t budge. He heard a nasally voice confirm what had been tugging at the back of his mind since he had arrived.

“Hold still and take your shot.”

This was an insane asylum, wasn’t it?

Roxas felt a strange combination of fatigue and panic. His legs would give out on him at any second, yet he had the jolt he needed to distance himself from this place as much as possible. As soon as the Boss’ back was turned, Roxas made a mad dash toward the door. It made so much sense. The colorless walls, the line of doors, the nonchalant guide, the clearly disturbed inhabitants...For whatever reason they were using the home renovation story as a cover. Roxas wanted absolutely no part of it, so he ran. He left the building, ignoring the secretary’s questions. He went as far as he could on God knows how many hours of sleep and an empty stomach. He was dizzy, nauseous, frightened...He may have bumped into a few confused passersby, but he kept going. He needed to see Sora. Sora would make things better. 

Unless...

Sora couldn’t have known, could he? Sure, Roxas didn’t react properly to Kairi’s death but...would Sora intentionally admit him into a nuthouse over something so trivial? 

But that couldn’t have been it. Sora mentioned the “internship” before the incident. He must have suspected Roxas’ mental state for a long time. He was just like the others.

Roxas stopped in an alleyway after turning a sharp corner. His body was nearing its limit physically and mentally. He leaned against the brick wall behind him and slid down. The grainy surface scraped his head, giving him another spark, but his legs refused to listen to him. Breathe in...Breathe out...Calm down...His surroundings smelled of stale beer and neglected trash cans. He welcomed it when he started hyperventilating. Breathe in...Then out...In...Out...

“I’m not crazy,” Roxas said almost silently. He clenched his hands as hard as he could and cut his right palm. There was shattered glass next to him, the probable source of the beer smell. He picked up the biggest shard he could find and stared at it. It had some of his blood on the jagged edge.

“I’m not crazy.” Roxas needed something to pacify him before he had a heart attack. He purposely punctured his skin again. It stung, even burned a little because of the alcohol, but it soothed him after the initial shock. He worked on his palm first, cutting into rough but parallel lines. He watched his blood surface from the injuries, merging and sliding about with a few bubbles between the creases. He turned his hand to the side and watched it drip onto the filthy ground. Once he ran out of room to work with, he went for his wrist.

“I’m not crazy.” The skin past his hand was easier to get into. He could feel his body pulsate every time he took a breath and his blood came out in spurts. He clenched his fist again to get more out, and continued cutting. He felt lightheaded, but in a different sense from before. His vision blurred and shifted, almost like a dream. He felt warm in his cheeks and neck. Everything else felt prickly and numb, and his heartbeat slowed down. The only thing that stopped him from continuing the mutilation was his body begging him to. 

Roxas dropped the shard, still reassuring himself that he was sane. Even though he felt betrayed, he was glad Sora got what he wanted. His brother deluded himself into thinking Roxas could make any friends. This would make him happy, at least for a little while. 

“I’m...not…”

~~~

"Axel."

No answer. Xemnas sighed. This was becoming a pain. The redhead didn't even flinch. His head was resting on his arms, which were folded on his desk. A faint snore could be heard along with soft mumbling. 

"Axel." Xemnas tried again, using a bit more of his voice. Still nothing. Behind him, Vexen sighed in frustration and stepped around him. 

"Axel!" The blonde said, pounding his palm on the desk. The redhead immediately woke up, his eyes wild and alert.

"Wha... What's going on? I-Is there a fire?" he asked when he smelled something burnt. Looking down he noticed his ashtray flipped and its contents splayed across the desk. Studying himself he found his arm colored gray.

"Aw, come on..." He sighed, brushing off his arm. Facing upward again he glanced at the Boss and then Vexen. "Is something wrong?" 

"You have a new mission,” Xemnas spoke before Vexen could start his high-pitched bitching. "You didn't meet him, but an intern came here today. As you know, not just anyone comes here. The boy left, so now you need to go find him." 

"QUICKLY!" Vexen added, pounding the desk again. Axel jumped and moved his wheeled chair back. "This is of utmost importance! That means no dawdling, no sleeping, no slacking, no smoki-"

"Enough, Vexen. Leave us," Xemnas interrupted. Vexen huffed but did as he was told. He tended to run his mouth, but he still feared the Boss. Xemnas turned his attention back to Axel. "As much as I hate admit it, he's right. Roxas needs to be brought back by tonight." 

"T-Tonight?" Axel stammered, his gaze moving to his clock. The sun would set in another four hours. "I'll try Boss, but gosh, I don't think I can find him in such a short amount of time..."

"You'll have to try. Vexen said something about tracking him by his phone. It won't pinpoint the boy but it could help. See him first to learn more about Roxas. Oh, and Axel, please hurry. I can only imagine what Eight would do to that boy should you not get him here on time."

"Oh, um... Right,” Axel said, suddenly feeling a heaviness on his chest. He had to be quick, not only for the sake of this boy, but anyone else who happened to be on the streets. Xemnas left and for a moment Axel stared at his desk. Was it just him, or did all the dirty work seem to always fall in his lap...? He jumped up when he realized he was wasting time. Grabbing his coat he took off down the hall, through the unlabeled door, up a flight of stairs and toward the scientist’s lab. Vexen scolded Axel for dawdling before starting down a long hallway. Axel stood in awe of the room. Had he been in here before? He couldn't remember. He was mesmerized by the bright colors and shiny scientific equipment everywhere. 

"Axel!" Vexen screeched when he noticed the redhead wasn't following. 

"Shoot, uh, s-sorry! Coming!" He said, scurrying down the hall. He found Vexen in a room that smelled strongly of cleaning supplies and metal. He tried his hardest to center his attention on the other man, but all the glowing tubes of liquid around him made it hard. 

"Always with your head in the clouds. Honestly..." the scientist mumbled as he picked up a couple of papers, one with writing and the other a picture. He shoved them against Axel's chest, then hurried to one of the three computers currently running. 

Axel looked down at the papers and blinked. Was this the kid he was being sent after? He really was a kid... He looked no more than fifteen, with a baby face and big blue eyes. His hair was incredibly golden and fluffy. Axel couldn't help but want to touch it. He switched papers and skimmed the information given. 

"Roxas Juusan..." he whispered. Why did that name sound familiar?

"Hey!" Vexen yelled, making the redhead jump for the third time in minutes. "Honestly... Give me your phone." 

Axel's eyes widened and before he smiled and handed over the cell. Vexen stared at him a moment before scoffing. He left the redhead's side and returned to the computer. 

"So um, Vexen. This kid... Why is he so important exactly?" 

Roxas gnawed at Axel’s mind. He knew he was forgetting something important about the guy, but what? 

"It doesn't matter if you can't remember. Just find him!" Vexen’s patience was wearing thin. He pushed the phone at Axel and headed toward another door. Axel gasped and clawed the air for his phone, catching it just in time. 

"Now get out!" Vexen demanded before disappearing. Axel glanced down at the phone and watched as a red dot flashed over a map on the screen. 

'Must be the kid...' he thought as he turned and left the lab. 

...

As he walked through the building and outside he noticed that the dot wasn't moving. It was stationary but a bit far from where he stood. If this kid was so important, why was he so far away? 

'Oh, wait. He ran.' Axel thought, laughing at himself. He checked his watch for the time and sighed. He was really worried he wouldn't make it back before sunset. Stuffing the papers in a rear pocket he rushed to his target, trying and failing to weave through the pedestrians. He apologized to every person he bumped into, taking precious time off his dwindling three hours.

"Whew, I... am... really out of shape," he huffed, bent with his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. He looked up, then at his phone. This alley was where the dot had stayed his entire way there, and now he was mere feet from the boy. 

"Hello?" he called out as he placed his phone in his breast pocket. When no one answered, he paused and felt a little creeped out. This alley was dark and he was quite a distance from home. 

"Hey? Um, Roxas? Are you down here?" He called again. Still no answer. "Aw, fudge..." 

He realized he had to go down the alley. He took a step forward and stopped. Nope, too dark. Pulling his phone back out he used the bright screen as a flashlight and continued on. At least now he could see, but it didn't change how creepy the place was. Wait... Why was it creepy? He shook his head. 

“You’re being silly, Axel, there's nothing down here to be afraid o-Oh snap!" He tripped over something thick. He hit the ground hard and his phone skid away, taking the light with it. 

"O-Ow..." He hissed, holding his elbow. It stung and he could tell it was bleeding. He sat up fully and turned to see what he tripped over, but it was difficult make anything out. Reaching forward he grabbed his phone again and poked the screen. The light returned, but the screen was badly cracked. He winced. 

"Big Boss is gonna kill me..." Helping himself up, he brushed off his knees and shined the light down, surveying the area. He stumbled back and almost fell again when a slender leg came in to view. 

"Roxas?" he said. The person didn’t answer, but it had to have been him. Rushing to his side he noticed the boy was incredibly pale and bleeding out from a deep gash in his wrist. The opposite hand held a long, jagged piece of glass, glistening with a red liquid. He gasped and picked the boy up, swinging him over his shoulder.

"Gosh, you're heavy..." Axel said to himself. He wondered for a moment how Eight managed to drag bodies home most nights, then remembered he only took the heads back. He dialed the Institution and told Larxene to direct to Big Boss's office. After a few rings, a man's voice came through. 

"H-Hey, Boss? Um, I found the kid but he's... not doing so good," He said weakly. 

"What's wrong with him?" Xemnas asked. The rustling of paper told Axel the Boss had been painting again, no doubt stressed over Axel's mission. 

"Well, he's unconscious and bleeding really badly. He cut his wrist really deep with a broken piece of glass." Axel paused and suddenly felt afraid for the boy. "Besides close to death, he could also have gotten some sort of disease from the glass or being exposed to the environment he was in-"

"Come back, now. Hurry. Go straight to Vexen's office and-" Xemnas' voice was cut out as a sudden pain split through Axel's head and caused his vision to blur. He felt nauseous and had to lean against the wall, suddenly too weak to hold himself up. He heard a distant voice yelling, but couldn't make out whose. He looked down to his phone and remembered the call. 

"Boss, I have to go now..." he said while holding up the phone through force of will. He ended the call then stared at the time. An hour and a quarter till sundown. Shit. No wonder Eight was getting antsy. He pushed himself off the wall and steadied himself. "Okay Axel, four years of track readied you for this. We gotta sprint all the way home... Now... Let's..." 

His vision darkened and he felt another powerful wave of nausea overcome him. Why was it happening this early? Glancing over to Roxas, his only guess was the boy's blood was stirring his darker half. 

"Eight, no!" Axel sounded more desperate than stern, like he was pleading with an older brother to stop bullying him. Eight's laughter filled his mind. 

_Clock's ticking, Axel._ Eight whispered between his giggles. 

"Just let me get home and you can do whatever you wish!" He begged. His head split again and he cried out in pain. Another cackle from the other personality only worsened things. 

_But I'm feeling a little peckish..._

Axel ground his teeth and took a deep breath. He had to steady himself and gain control over his mind. Keeping Eight at bay was hard, but not impossible. Pushing his other half back he burst into a mad sprint. Leaving the alley's darkness and entering the sunlight helped to stave off Eight, which allowed him to press himself harder. He had to get home... 

_Faster Axel, faster!_

Axel whimpered but kept on. He saw the sun at the edge of the city and bit his lip. He would make it if he could keep up this pace. However, he was chewing through his adrenaline like candy and Roxas' weight was starting to slow him down. 

"Why can't we just get cars or bikes?!" Axel shouted, causing a few people around him to look at him as if he were insane. ...Well, they weren’t wrong, but they didn't need to know that. He turned a corner and grinned. Just a few more blocks! He was going to make it! For a moment he wondered how he was running so quickly but he knew if he thought about it he'd slow down. Plus, he was pretty sure Eight had something to do with it, and the last thing he wanted to do at the moment was acknowledge him. 

He burst through the doors of the Institution like a bat out of Hell, causing Larxene to jump and curse at him. The lights were flickering, which told him he was still in the clear. Twelve, unlike her counterpart, did not enjoy running the electricity bill sky-high. Disregarding his initial orders he headed to the stairs in his office, which lead to the basement. It was closer than Vexen’s lab and he wasn’t sure if he’d make it there. Entering his home he placed the boy on his couch and took a deep breath. He'd have to clean the wound and get it covered. He retrieved a medical kit and when he returned, he froze. The boy was moving, albeit barely. His eyes had opened enough to scan the area he was in. Axel expected the boy to panic but he didn't. In fact, he didn't do anything. He just stared at the wall. Axel took this to mean he wasn't completely there yet.

Returning to the boy’s side, Axel pulled his arm closer as gently as he could, but it didn't seem to matter. Roxas showed no sign of alertness. The blond didn't even cringe when his arm was doused in alcohol and then wrapped in a bandage. Axel sighed and simply stared at his guest once he finished. Why was the boy important, and why did he try to kill himself? Vexen probably knew, but Axel doubted he would get anything out of him. 

Roxas showed signs of life again, his injured arm twitching ever so slightly. Axel took notice and realized the boy probably needed some food in him.

"I-I'll cook you some soup. It'll be easy to get down so you don't have to struggle,” he said. The boy's eyes slid to acknowledge him and Axel smiled. "H-Hey, why did you..."

Axel's voice trailed off as the familiar splitting pain filled his head. He cried out and buried his hands in his hair as Eight's laugh rang through the chaos in his mind. 

_Time's up!_

Axel slowly looked up to Roxas, whose attention returned to the wall. He wanted to tell the boy to run, but the pain in his head halted all his functions. His vision was quickly fading and his body was going numb. He made it back home, but at what cost? He thought he had time to get this boy to safety... But he was too late. 

Eight would surely make this boy his next meal.


	3. Chapter 3

“ _...Leave a message and I'll get back to you._ "

_Beeep_

“Uh, h-hey, Mom! Hi…” Sora’s eyes were red and puffy as he disguised the shakiness in his voice. It hurt repressing his emotions and he broke down the second he entered his empty house. He couldn’t let his family see him like this, not when he was the only thing holding them together.

But he needed to hear someone familiar. Someone who knew.

“I just…” he began as his eyes drifted to the small table next to the couch he sat on. It was a picture of him, Roxas, and Kairi. He and the girl looked happy, but Roxas was his usual, dismal self.

Sora wasn’t stupid.

“…I just wanted to see how you were doing.” But he couldn’t bring up what happened. He knew his mother treated Kairi like one of her own and she already had enough on her mind. “So call back. …Please…We miss you.”

By the end of the sentence his ruse slipped. He hung up, hoping that his cracking voice didn’t get caught in the recording. He looked at his phone again. More texts from Riku begging for his forgiveness. He clenched hard onto the device before chucking it at the other side of the room. He slumped forward until his elbows were on his knees and face was buried in his hands. His eyes stung. Why was this day taking so long to end? He just wanted to sleep and go to class as if everything was normal.

But he knew better, deep down.

He heard his phone buzz again but pretended he couldn’t hear it. He didn’t want to face reality, not yet. It hurt too much.

_Buzz buzz…_

Sora was going to kill that boy.  He slid off the couch and went to where his phone landed. It was still in one piece, thank goodness. As he prepared to turn off the phone, he squinted at the newest message’s preview:

_Just thought u’d know._

Sora pressed on the screen to see what Riku was talking about.

_Kairi’s being mentioned on the news._

_Channel 7._

_Just thought u’d know._

Kairi…

Sora couldn’t avoid it. It would sneak up on him eventually, and he’d rather have more control than that. He turned on the television, which was a foot away from where his phone was, before sitting back down. It was stuck on the cooking channel until Sora dug up the remote　from between the cushions. He pressed the number of the channel Riku mentioned. There was a business suit-clad woman with a microphone standing in front of Kairi’s house, which was still surrounded by caution tape and sirens.

“ _-ri Hoshiko was found dead this morning inside her home.   Her head and left arm were severed, though an autopsy report revealed that the arm’s removal was post mortem. Investigators concluded it was the work of a Reaper, a member of an infamous group that has been terrorizing the city since 2008. There was uncertainty due to the lack of the Reapers’ modus operandi, as the head was left behind, but the cut on her neck was a perfect match with other victims’. Friends and loved ones were devastated as…_ ”

The Reapers, huh… Sora sighed heavily. Now any lingering doubts he had were put to rest. Roxas didn’t need yet another reason to be ostracized so hopefully a decent amount of schoolmates found out the truth. 

His phone began buzzing again, this time alerting Sora to a phone call. He saw it was Riku and he reluctantly answered it.

“ _I’m sorry. After everything that’s happened, I wasn’t thinking and...I shouldn’t have accused Roxas like that,_ ” Riku said. Sora could tell he was struggling with the apology, but at least he was trying.

“He’s my brother, Riku. I don’t know if I can forgive you for this.”

“ _...Yeah, I know._ ”

The news broadcast’s trademark jingle played while an announcer said “ _This has been Channel 7 news at seven!_ ”. Sora briefly thought of how stupid it was that some channels would use that method to make time slots easier to remember.

Wait...It was seven?

“ _Hello?_ ” Riku said when Sora didn’t say a word for a while. 

“...I’ll see you in class.”

Sora hung up and stared at the phone. Yup, it was around 7 pm. How did he not notice before? Roxas was at the internship for over half a day. He called his brother’s phone and waited in vain for it to ring. The battery was dead...Oh God. Sora hopped off the couch and grabbed his coat. 

He thought Roxas would be safe. They _said_ he would be safe!

~~~

A rustling from the living room stole Eight's attention from the bubbling stew on the stove. He grinned and put aside his wooden spoon, crossing rooms to find Roxas sitting up on the couch. The bow was looking down at himself with a blank expression. 

"Good mooorning, or rather, niiight, blondie!" Eight sang in a Disney-on-crack sort of way. Roxas didn't budge. Not even a twitch. Eight frowned, boredom suddenly looming. He sighed and crossed his arms with a little pout. 

"Come _on_ , don't just sit there! It's like you're already dead and there's no fun in playing with a rotten corpse." 

Still nothing. Anger rose quickly inside him and he raised his hand to smack the boy when a crackling noise came from the kitchen. 

"Oh, food! Of course!" he chimed, prancing off to the kitchen. 

Multitasking was not his best asset but he couldn't keep his eyes off the boy, who'd seemed to show a little life at the mention of food. Eight continuously spilled hot stew down himself, but it didn't seem to affect him, though the scorching heat and bright red blemishes all over his hands, arms and chest should have been alarming. Eventually he succeeded in filling a bowl and not his clothes and rushed into the living room. 

"Here. Eat,” he ordered. Roxas didn't move. "Oh, what's the problem now?" 

He then realized he hadn't brought the boy a spoon. 

"What, you too good to eat with your hand?" Eight teased. When Roxas slowly brought his hand up and over the stew, the Reaper’s eyes sparkled with joy. 

_He's such a masochist..._ He practically swooned in his mind. But for a reason he couldn't find himself, he stopped the blond and put his arm aside. _Not yet._ Eight left and returned with a spoon, handing it off to the blond who quickly dug into the stew. Eight sat across from him and watched as the color slowly returned to his face and he grew more and more ravenous with each bite. 

"Wow, you were hungry!" Eight laughed. Roxas didn't bother to acknowledge him, and he didn't mind.  He enjoyed watching the boy seemingly return to life. He'd watched tons of people lose their lives, so watching someone return to life was intriguing. 

"Eight!" a voice cried from behind the front door, followed by a rhythmic pounding. Eight sighed dramatically and opened the door to a very pissy Four. The scientist pushed past the redhead and made a beeline for Roxas, who had just finished his stew. Four took hold of Roxas' wrist and pulled him up to stand. The boy did so without a struggle, though he relied on Four to keep on his feet. 

"This boy was to be in my lab two hours ago, you idiot! Why is he holed up in your shitty little cave?" said Four. Eight rolled his eyes. 

"Your apartment and mine look identical, I'll remind you... Anyway, he's here because I doubt you'd want a dead kid to poke and prod." 

"You forgot, didn't you," Four stated more than asked. Eight had a sheepish look on his face and rubbed his arm. 

"Well I got hungry..." 

"You idiot." Four scoffed before pushing past Eight to leave. Roxas, having not completely recovered yet, crumbled under the first step. Four stopped, but contemplated dragging the blond behind him. 

"Carry him," he spat to Eight. 

"Do I look like your bitch?" 

"Yes. Do it or I'm telling the Boss about this."

"Go ahead! He doesn't care about this kid either." Eight laughed. 

The two of them shared a glare which would send a chill down any normal human's spine. Four broke first, however. The insanity in the redhead's gaze was just too much. 

"Just do it!" Four finally snapped. Eight laughed at his irritation but picked the boy up regardless. 

"So what do you want him for, anyway?" he asked as he followed Four back to his lab. 

"Studies. Nothing you'd understand." 

"I probably would, if you'd drop the creepy scientist act and explain..." 

"You're not here for talk, you're here for grunt work!" 

A thud sounded behind Four, then the soft padding of steps. He turned around to see the boy abandoned like a rag doll on the floor, and Eight walking away. 

"H-Hey! HEY! Get back here, you idiot, and pick him up! Do not damage the specimen more than you already have!" 

Eight didn't even flinch. 

"Damn you!" Four screeched before bending down and grabbing the boy's wrist. He pulled Roxas to his feet and placed his arm around his shoulders, helping him walk the rest of the way to his lab. It was a slow, stumbling walk, but they eventually made it. Four quickly strapped the boy up to some sort of operating table, which he turned upright. 

“Now, you’re going to feel some pain for a while,” he explained to the subject, “but once the anesthetic kick in you won’t feel a thing. You’ll be awake, but it doesn’t seem like that will matter at this point. You don’t seem very lively as is.” 

Four started pulling over random cords and needles, sticking them in Roxas’ forearms, neck, and chest. He contemplated stabbing one directly into his frontal lobe, but thought better of it. He’d need the boy more alert to read his emotions and personality. 

“We’ll wait a few minutes before starting this up. Let the drugs kick in. I don’t want you screaming and causing those idiots to come up here snooping around.” Four turned the table back to it’s original position and rubbed an amber brown substance on Roxas’ stomach. It tingled deep in his muscles. “A little extra wouldn’t hurt, either.” 

A few moments more pass and Four returned to Roxas’ side with a large scalpel and long surgical gloves. His face is covered with a white mask and laboratory glasses. 

“Shall we begin?” He asked, the smirk on his face visible without the mask being removed.

The scientist was interrupted by a sudden knock on the door. Before he could turn his head and shout that he was busy, the visitor came inside. Four slammed the scalpel on the instrument table next to him, causing the other tools to clank. He stopped himself just before lecturing the Boss, who was still in his suit. 

“One, sir! T...To what do I owe this pleasure?” asked Four, knowing that the Boss never ventured into the lab without reason. 

“Roxas’ brother is here to pick him up.”

Roxas could hear the conversation. He lifted his head as much as the restraints would allow before falling back onto the table. 

“Wh- _now_? But I-” Four began.

“Yes, now. We cannot allow him to suspect anything. He already seems to be on edge. We’ll give him what he wants for now.”

The corner of Four’s mouth twitched. What were the chances of him seeing his subject again? All he could hope for was the barely-conscious boy to think this was all a dream. 

“...Yes, sir,” the scientist said as he unbuckled the straps. Even after Roxas was freed, he didn’t move. One hovered over him and gave him a few pinches and slaps to the face. Roxas needed to be awake long enough to be taken out of their hands. He had to be guided back to the entrance by the Boss. He was stared at and talked about, which was nothing new that day, but the people seemed...different from before. Even the secretary gave him a disturbing smile as he passed her. At the front of the building stood a fidgety Sora.

“Oh thank God, you’re okay! I was so worried!”  

One transferred the near-lifeless body to Sora. The brother’s suspicious gaze forced Four to assure that Roxas was still alive, just tired. Sora didn’t care for the details as long as they were as far away from the place as possible. 

Sora and Roxas took the last running buses back to their house. Roxas was asleep through the whole trip, giving Sora little choice but to drag him around whenever they were on foot. Once they were home, Sora placed Roxas upright on the couch as gently as he could before plopping next to him. He sighed, leaning his head back. 

“Roxas, I...” Sora began but wasn’t sure what to say. He pushed his hair back and waited in silence for his thoughts to come together. “I know you’ve had a rough couple of days. I was just...hoping things would get better.”

Roxas shook his head. He was still recovering but could hear his brother just fine. He didn’t want Sora to take all of the blame. He didn’t understand what was so important about this scam of an internship, but at least he knew that he wasn’t being abandoned.  
He couldn’t help but wonder, though…

The red-haired man who was kind one minute and threatening the next...There was something about him...

~~~

Once the sun rose, Axel regained control. He had ‘awoken’ in bed, smelling the stew Eight cooked and Lord knows what else his other half did. He turned to his nightstand, opened the drawer, and grabbed a carton of cigarettes from a seemingly endless supply. While reaching, he noticed pale patches of skin on his hand and sighed, knowing of Eight's carelessness. Axel then searched for his lighter, scanning his immediate surroundings and patting the cloak Eight neglected to take off. He eventually found it buried in his bedsheets. He’d have to talk to Eight about that later, but his head was hurting too much to make a fuss. He stretched, exposing his armpits which harshly reminded him that he hadn’t showered in a few days. His smoking would have to wait…

The sun was still rising so Axel had first dibs on the hot water. He stayed under the water long after scrubbing  the dirt and dead skin away, enjoying the solitude. Despite having his own office and bedroom, there was hardly any privacy in the Institution. He stood there, brushing back his hair and closing his eyes. He sighed. He couldn’t remember what happened after rescuing the Roxas kid and knew he was going to face the wrath of Vexen the second he left his room. If not him, then it would be the Boss...

At least the shower was comforting. It was right next to his coworker’s living room. The walls were thin, so Axel only had to place his ear on the tiles and listen.

“Hmm…” 

There was music playing. No particular song, so the coworker must have been tuning his instrument. 

“So sweet,” he said. “The sounds you make when I touch you...When I stroke you here” -he strums another tune- “you make such a naughty sound.”

Axel sighed again, but for a different reason. He pressed his hands onto the shower wall and closed his eyes. 

“SiSi…” the neighbor moaned. “You love when I twist and pull on these, don’t you...When I touch those pretty curves of yours...Sing for me, baby…”

He started playing again, emitting a lovely, gentle sound into Axel’s ears. As Axel listened he imagined his coworker’s slender fingers pluck the strings of his sitar, sliding his opposite hand up and down the neck. He imagined the peaceful yet concentrated expression that the coworker was no doubt showing, with his legs kicked up onto his desk.  Axel loved when his neighbor did this, but couldn’t quite figure out why. It made him feel...warm. Wanting. Before these thoughts completely clouded his mind, Axel knocked on the wall, causing the music to stop. As he exited the shower and grabbed a towel, he was visited by the neighbor. 

“Mornin’, Demyx,” Axel said while patting his hair with the towel. Demyx had his sitar strapped to his back, as usual. 

“Hey. Got my headphones?” 

“Yeah, sorry, they’re on my dresser. Eight’s been trying to hide them, haha.” the redhead began moving the towel down, drying himself off. Demyx waved away the comment while entering Axel’s bedroom.

“...Eight took over earlier than usual.”

“You really need to put a leash on him...” Demyx resurfaced with his possession resting on his neck. He had Axel’s cigarettes and lighter in hand.

“Gosh, are you worried?” Axel asked sheepishly. “I’m fine. I just didn’t have time to smoke, that’s all.”

“Hm...” 

Demyx didn’t seem convinced. Axel wrapped the towel around his waist and leaned in to kiss Demyx.

“I’m fine,” he said again after pulling away. 

“Yeah...Yeah, okay. It’s just...” Demyx rubbed the top of his mullet, somehow making it messier. “...Okay. I won’t pry. I know you don’t like that.”

“Oh, it just shows that you care. I don’t mind terribly.” Axel walked to his clothes drawer and opened it. There wasn’t much variety in his wardrobe since he didn’t leave the Institution much. “So I met the kid Boss hired.”

“Roxas, right?” Demyx said, getting a nod from Axel. “I swear I’ve heard that name somewhere before.”

“You’re not the only one. I’m pretty sure everyone’s scratching their heads over it.”

“Not everyone...That snake knows more than he’s letting on.”

“When doesn’t he?” Axel sighed. “Speaking of...Guess we should get going.”

Axel dressed in a button-down shirt and slacks. He didn’t forget to grab the cigarettes and lighter from Demyx and stuffing them in his back pockets. In the process, he took note that Demyx was, once again, not wearing shoes. The sitarist was going to hear about it later…

The couple went up from the basement and down the long hallway. There was a line of sleepy-eyed employees in front of Vexen’s office. One by one, they dragged themselves to their workplaces while rolling down their sleeves or rubbing their arms. 

“Next!” Vexen called irritatingly, followed by the line shortening. Demyx said good morning to anyone nearby, but Axel kept staring at the floor or wall or anything that wasn’t a person. They kept their distance from each other, not quite ready to break the news to their coworkers/neighbors. Once it was Axel's turn, he took a breath and went inside. 

He had grown used to the below-freezing temperature and assortment of disturbing sculptures. Some from his previous visit must have melted since there were larger ones in their stead. 

“I’m getting older by the minute, Hachi, move it!” Vexen snapped after noticing he lost Axel’s attention again. Axel quickly made his way to the stool next to Vexen’s desk, which had a (hopefully) cleaned syringe on top of it. Vexen already had the time to fill it with the strange liquid the Institution became dependent on the past few months. The crazed scientist never told them what it was for or what it did, but surely the Boss knew about it by now and wouldn’t put his employees in any danger.

...Right?

“That Reaper of yours is becoming a real hindrance. You need to control him,” said Vexen while pushing the needle into Axel’s exposed arm. 

“Don’t you think I’ve tried?” Axel stated, a twinge of irritation in his voice. Vexen sucked his teeth, pressing the plunger harder than he should have. Axel winced when the liquid entered his bloodstream. Vexen removed the needle, first from Axel and then from the syringe itself to prepare for his next patient.

“Don’t be a smartass,” Vexen said to Axel’s back as the redhead left the room. Axel, usually not one to take Eight’s side, held in a chuckle. 

Eight, in his mind, did it instead.


	4. Chapter 4

Roxas remembered what happened last month, in a painkiller-fueled dream. Through haziness and doubtful images, he remembered the event that ultimately ended Kairi’s life.

Class was over, same as usual. The students dispersed with friends or crushes, scuttling out of Mr. Eros’ classroom. Sora, Roxas, and their clique were the last to leave as they listened to Riku telling a story about basketball practice. Roxas made yet another excuse to stay behind while focusing on his desk. Sora was confused by his brother’s sudden shyness but didn’t turn down his request. He shooed the others away before saying goodbye, just to receive a half-hearted farewell. Only Roxas and Mr. Eros remained. The teacher stacked some unchecked papers into a manila folder serving as the replacement for his forgotten briefcase. Roxas, shielded by his hoodie, slumped into his seat to unsuccessfully hide himself from Mr. Eros. He just needed to stay in the classroom long enough for the school to empty, finally giving him time alone. He loved his brother, but he couldn’t deal with Sora’s cluelessness about Kairi much longer. How could Sora not see what kind of person she was?

“Roxas?” Mr. Eros spoke up, breaking his student’s train of thought. “Your friends are leaving without you.You should probably hurry.”

Roxas was unmoved. 

“Roxas?” he called again. A worried look twisted his handsome features when the blond still didn’t answer. He glanced over to the door, which stood open to the empty hallway, and a thought crossed his mind. 

Roxas’ blue eyes slowly swiveled upward as a shadow fell over him. Mr. Eros stood before his desk, smiling down at him and looking somewhat… eager. The teen looked around himself and found they were now completely alone; there were no lingering students or teachers in the halls, either. He sighed and faced his teacher. 

“I don’t like hanging around a girl…” he answered sheepishly. He didn’t need the man to ask. Mr. Eros pulled up a chair and sat with his student while he continued. 

“She’s a nasty witch, always causing trouble with her insensitive comments and...and her snide remarks, and…” His sentence trailed off as Mr. Eros’ hand was placed over his. He looked to the man with complete confusion, and met a dazzling, yet intimidating smile. 

“I know how teenage girls are,” he said in a low, husky voice. “They were awful to me at your age. But I found that I could always talk to my teachers. I’ll gladly be your confidant… Why don’t you come over to my place and we can talk about this more? You’re also falling behind in your work, so I could give some tutoring as well.” 

Roxas gave him a long, hard stare. While his grades said otherwise, he wasn’t a stupid kid. He was fully aware of what the man intended, and yet he didn’t want to tell him no. Instead, against his better judgement, he flashed him a smile and nodded. 

“I’d love that,” he answered as he rose from his chair and gathered his books. 

Roxas awoke suddenly to the blaring alarm on his phone. With a groan he reached over and smacked it into submission. The reach exposed the bandages on his forearm that he’d forgotten about. He laid in silence for a while, focusing on them, before nodding off to sleep again. A knock on his bedroom door interrupted him yet again. 

“Roxas, get up! You’re going to be late again if you don’t,” Sora called through the door. When his brother didn’t answer, Sora took initiative and barged inside.

“I said ‘get up’!” he yelled, grabbing the blanket off his brother and throwing it to the floor.

“Fuck off, Sora. I’m not going…” Roxas muttered, covering his face with a pillow. Despite rescuing him from what happened yesterday, Sora still caused it in the first place, and that was a hard thing to forgive. It took a night to himself, away from Sora’s apologies, for Roxas to determine how messed up the whole situation was. Sora sighed, already tired again. 

“Roxas, what’s going on with you? This isn’t like you. I mean, no one likes school but lately you don’t like anything… Even before...Kairi...happened, you just stopped caring. I’m worried about you, but-”

“I don’t need your pity party this early in the morning.” Roxas interrupted. A moment passed, then Roxas felt something soft land on him. Curious, he peeked back and found an irritated Sora. 

“Why won’t you just talk to me? Why do you have to act like no one is there for you? I saved you from death, I picked you up from the internship because I was worried about you, and I’m still worried about you because of what bad shape you’re in, yet you still brush me off. This is getting ridiculous, Roxas. …You know what, do what you want.” Sora left the room in a huff, slamming his brother’s door behind him. Roxas sighed and laid back down, burying his face in the pillow. He wasn’t planning on going to school anyway.

The blond jumped when the chime of his phone woke him again. He looked around, dazed and confused. He must’ve fallen back asleep and didn’t realize it… His phone chimed again and he reached for it without looking. After failing a couple times, he finally found it and brought it to him. 

The message was from the one he’d dreamt of, Mr. Eros. He read it twice, squinted, then rubbed his eyes. He wasn’t sure he was reading it right. He read again with cleared vision and sighed. No, he read it right. At first it seemed innocent enough, a worried teacher wondering where his student was. But the rest of it wasn’t so pure. He was asking if, once again, Roxas would like some company, which was code for more nefarious deeds between them. The blond scoffed and tossed the phone aside, remembering where his dream had left off.

Mr. Eros’ home was large, yet quaint. It was oddly well kept, for a single man. Roxas was instructed to go into the living room and make himself comfortable while his teacher got them some drinks. The blond should’ve been worried, but simply nodded and did as told. He sat in an old recliner, which was very plush and way too large for him, and scanned the area. What he noticed first was the home was void of any pictures, family or otherwise, which was incredibly odd. Most people had at least a picture of a dead family member somewhere… Next was that the home was spotless, as if Mr. Eros did nothing but clean while he was alone… Well, he supposed the man could’ve hired a maid. 

“Here you are,” Mr. Eros said, offering Roxas a glass of water and dragging him from his thoughts. The blond smiled and thanked him, taking the glass with both hands. The older male lingered for a moment, his smile broadening, before sitting close in an opposite chair he pulled closer. 

“You’re quite the charmer, Roxas,” he started while his student took a sip. “Why are you always alone?” 

“I… choose to be, I guess,” he lied. Mr. Eros caught on and he sighed. “My brother’s best friend, or, girlfriend, I don’t really know… I told you, she’s evil. But since I’m friends with everyone my brother is friends with, I can’t really escape her…” 

Mr. Eros smiled at him, as if he understood. “I know what that’s like, being treated unfairly for no real reason… But I’ll tell you a secret. There’s always at least one person you can escape to.” While he was speaking, his hand had made its way onto Roxas’ thigh, and was currently traveling inward. Roxas looked down at it, then back at him, and his mind momentarily went blank. 

_I should run…_ He told himself, as Mr. Eros closed the distance between them.

 _I should run…_ He repeated, then, _I should get the hell out of here and tell someone…_ As his lips moved with the man’s. 

_But I don’t want to…_

In the present, Roxas stared at himself naked in his bathroom mirror. Bruises and cuts covered his pale skin. He sighed for the millionth time that morning as he started up the shower. The rest of the morning played out as usual: shower, get dressed, eat a little, and watch some television before school. It was much later than normal and he should’ve been in homeroom instead of his living room. He remembered the text and ran upstairs to answer his teacher. 

_Sorry, I’ve met someone more interesting._ He sent with a grin. Roxas hoped the man suffered. He looked up into the shiny reflective glass of his computer screen and wondered when he’d become so cynical. Maybe Sora was on to something… He brushed it off. His brother was never right about anything. He loved Kairi, after all.

But he wasn’t exactly lying to Mr. Eros, either. He had planned, while in the shower, to return to the Institution to negotiate with its leader.

…

After making an attempt to dress up, not forgetting his hoodie; taking the bus; and entering the building, Roxas was greeted by the secretary’s light-flipping habit. He adjusted his eyes while sneaking past the distracted woman. He wasn’t sure where his destination was, but the building was simple in structure. He remembered being taken down a hallway, first by the Institution’s leader, and then by...the redhead who rescued him…He had to hurry.

What Roxas didn’t take into consideration was the fact that Larxene had grown accustomed to her light-switching habit and can see the intruder just fine. Without missing a beat, she stretched her free arm onto her right side and fished out her cellphone. She pressed a number and the green phone icon on the dimly-lit screen.

“...Big Boss? Hi...um,” she whispered. “That Roxas kid came back...”

Roxas paused in front of Vexen Shi’s office, recognizing it immediately as where he decided to leave and never come back. Roxas wanted absolutely nothing to do with the man who gave shots so he prepared to keep walking. He then heard a muffled, familiar voice through the door.

“Pay attention, interns. This is important,” said the voice, followed by what seemed to be a person struggling. Another, scratchier voice begged Vexen to let him go, adding a desperate apology for good measure.

“Observe and take notes,” Vexen said, “because I will show you a secret that this company keeps, and only the most trusted of lackeys know about it. That, starting today, includes you.”

“Thank you, Mr. Shi!” said an excited female voice. More shuffling, more grunts and pleas from their kidnap victim... Roxas wondered what was going on inside…

“Keep quiet and accept this. I told you not to be a smartass,” Vexen said to Axel after leaning close. He still had that cocky, contradictory smirk on his face, because heaven forbid his students overheard him and found out what he was really like…

“I’m sorry…I’m sorry!” said Axel, writhing on the seat he was strapped to. The leather dug and scraped against his bare wrists. Vexen snarled at how quickly Axel crumbled to such a pitiful state. The redhead dug his nails into the chair’s arms until his fingers turned from peach to red to ghostly-white. He thanked the gods that he wasn’t tied to the operating table, which usually led to a much worse fate than whatever Vexen had planned. Vexen maneuvered around various ice sculptures he was busily chipping away from when his interns dragged in Axel. He came back with a pair of pliers, opening and closing them over and over again. Axel didn’t know if Vexen was mocking him or making sure the tool worked, but his brain was firing neurons. Get out now. Axel moved more fervently, feverishly, as if his life depended on this moment. A part of him believed that it did…

“Paine, hold him down,” Vexen ordered. The bored-looking Goth girl pushed herself from the desk and walked to the back of Axel’s chair. From his peripheral vision he saw her hand press firmly on his shoulder, and she did the same with the other. That only encouraged Axel to try harder. He rocked the seat back and forth using his upper body for momentum. He accidentally head-butted the girl in the mouth, but she barely reacted.

“Mr. Shi, why don’t you strap him to the desk?” she asked, her lip swelling. “Or I could get the operating table.”

Oh no…Axel shut his eyes. Not that…Please not that.

“No, the Boss doesn’t need to know what we’re up to. Plus,” Vexen flashed an eerie, toothy grin at the prisoner, “I don’t want any blood on my desk.”

Excuses…Those were just hollow excuses to justify Vexen’s impatience. He wanted to do this for a while and needed a reason, any reason to do it. Vexen’s stare fell onto Axel’s right hand, his dominant hand. He reached for it and Axel tried to move away. Paine wouldn’t let him.

“Please…I’m sorry…” Axel said again but was ignored. Vexen pried Axel’s forefinger from around the chair and forced it straight. He could feel the redhead trembling, hear his voice shaking as he swallowed saliva.

“Stay still. It’ll minimize the bleeding,” Vexen said as he clamped the pliers onto Axel’s fingernail.

“W-What? What?!” That comment only made Axel panic more. The chair started screeching beneath him when he tried to pull away, but it only quickened Vexen’s intentions. Axel winced and froze where he sat. He figured that he had to do what Vexen said not only for the blood, but for the pain as well. The more Vexen pulled, Axel pushed, but it only helped so much. Axel felt his nail getting detached from the cuticle, slowly yet forcefully…with the cold metal pressing against his skin. It was a horrible feeling. He bit hard on his lip to prevent any screaming, since Vexen seemed to get off on his suffering… He breathed rapidly through his nose as if it somehow eased the pain. More pulling. Axel could feel cool air where he shouldn’t. It hurt. Oh God, it hurt. Something warm slid around his fingertip and dripped, dripped, dripped onto Vexen’s floor. Axel’s skin stretched and clung desperately onto the nail, causing Vexen to lose his grip and the pliers to be yanked back. He left the job halfway done. Axel couldn’t help it; he let out a squeak. His blood bubbled up again from where his nail used to be and stained the floor. Vexen grabbed on again and in one, swift movement, he forced the nail off. Through his welling tears Axel could see the scientist turning the fingernail this way and that in the pliers. He seemed fascinated for a moment before chucking it into the trash bin near his desk. Axel twitched when he the nail clanked against the metal cylinder. He stared at it, and then at Vexen, before the stinging cold air made him realize that his coworker was moving on to the next finger. Axel unintentionally clenched his entire hand. Another jolt of pain. He winced and loosened his grip, giving Vexen an opportunity to straighten his next target. The pliers clamped onto the nail and Vexen pulled it up. As soon as Axel felt the pressure and the sting on his finger he screamed. He couldn’t hold it in any longer. Nothing coherent, not a cry for help, just a terrified scream. Vexen kept pulling, ignoring the blood and unpleasant cracking sounds emitting from the nail’s attempt to stay put. Axel’s tears began to flow down his cheeks, his nose, and between his gritting teeth when he tried once again to keep quiet. All he could see was shapes. Shapes of the women who kidnapped him. Shapes of the sculptures Vexen showed what little humanity he had towards. The shape of Vexen…with blood-riddled pliers. Soon Axel lost another part of him, and it was thrown away so, so carelessly. Axel didn’t even fight back when the ring finger was unfurled. He didn’t know how much longer this would take or what this was even for, but he didn’t want to endure it any longer. Make it stop...Please…

Vexen took note of how quiet Axel became before he began repeating the process. Two of his interns were scribbling away while Paine, who remained obediently still, felt the redhead slumping for a moment before stiffening. She then heard something that made her let go. Laughter. Giddy, high-pitched laughter.

“I’LL KILL YOU, YOU FUCKING FREAK. I’LL SLIT YOUR GODDAMN THROAT.”

Axel kept laughing, tears still staining his face, and sent that threat directly at Vexen.

“Eight. How nice to see you,” Vexen mumbled, distancing himself from the prisoner.

“Don’t let me _catch you_ , Vexen. You wouldn’t _like that_ ,” Eight sang. He clenched his left hand and pulled on its leather strap. He broke free seconds later. He clawed at Vexen as far as the chair would allow, making Vexen back away further. So Eight was in pain as well… Vexen took note of that before bumping into his desk.

“Veeexeeen.” Eight’s smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared. He used the same hand to break the other strap. He still had to free his legs, but Vexen’s interns were terrified.

“Mr. Shi!” Rikku, the excitable intern, shouted. Vexen grabbed a smaller sculpture behind his back, whirled his arm around, and hit Eight on the side of the head as hard as he could. Eight’s upper half drooped as a bit of blood trickled from where Vexen struck him. The redhead, for the first time in a while, was completely unconscious. The interns didn’t know what to say, and Vexen was still recovering from an adrenaline rush. It was silent.

Roxas, confused, pressed his ear harder on the door. He wasn’t paying attention to his surroundings and was patted on the shoulder by the last person he wanted to be caught by. Roxas wanted to run away again, but his captor had a strong grip. Roxas sighed and turned to face him.

“I know we’ve started on the wrong foot yesterday,” said the Boss, letting go. “I’d like you to reconsider the internship. I know that it’s an odd request, but I believe that you’ll benefit from working for us.”

“...I agree.” Roxas nodded, smiling. “Thank you for giving me another chance.”

The Boss seemed taken aback by how calm the boy was. What was he up to?

“On one condition,” Roxas said. There it was... “I work for the redhead as his personal intern. It….seems like he could use some help.” 

“What? You can’t just do that. You have to go through trials, a prerequisite of some sort”

“Look.” Roxas didn’t want to waste any more time. “I don’t know why, but not only am I not dead right now, but you offered me the ‘internship’ twice. _Twice_. You need me. If you don’t do what I ask, I’ll walk right out that door again.”

“And we’ll track you again.”

“Then I’ll just turn myself in for the murder of my friend. I seem to be the number one suspect.” Roxas was getting desperate. “And I can tell you’re hiding something, so I doubt you’d want to get involved with the police.”

The two were quiet, Xemnas’ face scrunching up at Roxas’ stupid, smug grin.

“...Does cigarette smoke bother you?” he asked the boy.

“No.”

“Would you be able to avoid Axel if he has headaches, if he grows irritable, if he looks at you strangely?”

“Yes.”

“Will you be able to keep any company secrets you may stumble upon, lest you go to prison for crimes far worse than murder?”

“...I have nothing to lose, but...yes. You can trust me.”

“Then...as of today, under very heavy surveillance, you are Axel Hachi’s intern.”

“Thank you, Mister…?” Roxas said, extending his hand. Xemnas stared at it. 

“The Boss. Just the Boss,” he said before turning and walking deeper into the hallway. Roxas followed, assuming the man was leading him to Axel’s office.

Axel...so that was his name…

“So why are you suspected of your friend’s murder?” the Boss asked. Roxas cringed. He must’ve implied that he didn’t really do it, but Xemnas didn’t call his bluff for some reason. 

“Because she’s a bitch and everyone knows I hate her.” Roxas shrugged. 

“Hm.” Xemnas wasn’t satisfied with that answer.

“...And…” Roxas continued, “she caught me...with our homeroom teacher...you know, together. So she blackmailed me. I had to do her bidding, the teacher and I broke up, if you could call it that...It was bad.”

That was all Roxas was willing to say.

“...You admitted it so easily,” said the Boss. “I could turn you in right now.”

“Pff, like anyone would believe you. You’re more suspicious than I am.”

Xemnas chuckled softly before going into Axel’s empty room without knocking.


End file.
